Do you get headaches from drinking certain wines? Why?
Well let me explain, as you are probably sulphur intolerant!
Sulphur in high levels is known to cause adverse side affects like terrible hangovers or headaches. This usually happens to people that have a low sulphur tolerance.
Why do we use sulphur in winemaking?
We need to spray the vineyards with sulphur to protect it against mildew and other diseases. This sulphur usually breaks down before picking and does not show up at any level once the winemaking process is started.
Sulphur is a natural occurring by-product of fermentation; yeasts on all grape skins generate naturally occurring sulphites. Sulphur (SO²) is used during winemaking for fermentation, to preserve the wines character; taste, flavour and colour. Although SO² is not dangerous in small quantities, some people have a low SO² tolerance.
The legal limit for South African grape-based liquor is no more than 200mg/l of sulphur dioxide, and not more than 50.0mg/l of that sulphur dioxide content in an alcoholic fruit beverage is allowed to be in the form of free sulphur.
Does white wine give you the hangover effect? And why does sweet wine affect you so badly?
Red wine has the lowest SO² levels because they naturally contain anti-oxidants from the skins of grapes (contact of skins gives the red wine its colour during fermentation). White wine needs the SO² to stop oxidation of the wine and to enhance flavours. Sweet wines have higher SO² levels as the sugar combines with sulphur and therefore more sulphur is added to sweet wine to get the recommended FREE sulphur levels.
What is FREE and TOTAL sulphur?
Only a portion of sulphur added to a wine is effective as an anti-oxidant (preservative), the rest is bound with other elements and ceases to be useful. It is the part lost in the wine that is known as bound sulphur and the active part is the FREE sulphur.
It is this FREE sulphur content that is important to sulphite intolerant people. Total sulphur content is simply the total amount of sulphur in a wine e.g. 150mg/l then we have free sulphur, which is simply the sulphur molecules floating around freely, which will bound with oxygen and other components in wine, to preserve the wine. The winemaker has to keep adding sulphur to the wine until it reaches saturation levels and there is enough free sulphur to protect the wine (more sugar in sweet wine means more sulphur added to reach saturation levels)
So when you wake up the next morning with a pounding headache and feel slow all day, it may not be because you overindulged, it was because you drank the wrong type of wine. Choose a red wine and/or look for low sulphur wines to drink.
To solve your problem don’t drink BIG BRAND NAMES!!
Big brand wines are more likely to be over sulphured, without being cynical about big brand wine business, but it is the small producer that takes more care about what they put in their bottles. Look for wines that have FREE sulphur level of less than 35mg/l, this should improve your symptom, and if the wines don’t state on the bottle what the Sulphur level is, ask them to send the WSB2 analysis and check it out.
A good winemaker will try to get most of the sulphur to bind; leaving only a small portion of FREE sulphur in the bottle.
Drink older wines with natural cork!
Older wines will have less free sulphur too. As wine ages and develops, there will be less and less free sulphur available in a wine. Wine sealed with a natural cork has some contact with oxygen and that free sulphur is then used to age the wine gracefully. Screw cap wines have no access to oxygen and therefore the wines will hold there free sulphur levels.
Can you cellar a low sulphur wine?
Absolutely YES!! It is not only sulphur in wine that allows you to age a wine. It is the combination of the wine elements itself. Tannins, alcohols, Acid, pH balance and fruit. It is best to ask the winemaker how the wine is made and for how long he/she thinks it can be cellared for.
Is organic wine sulphur free?
NO! There is no such thing as sulphur free wine. (according to Professor Roger Boulton, Ph.D., University of California) Organic wines are wines made from organically grown grapes; no pesticides, herbicides or any other chemicals are allowed to be used on the vines or in the soil.
Classified a low sulphite wine?
The FREE sulphur level of a wine should not exceed 10 parts per million
Our wines:
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Wine
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TOTAL SO²
|
FREE SO²
|
|
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De Reuck Range - Premier Wine
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Cape Ruby Port 2008
|
150
|
48
|
|
Cabernet/Merlot 2004
|
92
|
31
|
|
Cabernet/Merlot 2007
|
96
|
9
|
|
Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
|
116
|
15
|
|
Syrah 2004
|
46
|
13
|
|
Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
|
89
|
15
|
|
|
|
|
|
Torres Claude Range
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Torres Claude 2003
|
56
|
19
|
|
Torres Claude 2007
|
109
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Levels low enough for anti-headache
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Levels low enough for LOW SULPHUR CERTIFICATION
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